Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits, 49786-49787 [2017-23441]

Download as PDF 49786 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 207 / Friday, October 27, 2017 / Notices DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration [C–533–878, C–570–065] Stainless Steel Flanges From India and the People’s Republic of China: Postponement of Preliminary Determinations of Countervailing Duty Investigations Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce. DATES: Applicable October 27, 2017. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ryan Mullen at 202–482–5260 (India); Justin Neuman and Jerry Huang at 202– 482–0486 and 202–482–4047 (China), AD/CVD Operations, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: AGENCY: asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES Background On September 5, 2017, the Department of Commerce (Department) initiated countervailing duty investigations (CVD) on stainless steel flanges from India and the People’s Republic of China (PRC).1 Currently, the preliminary determinations of these investigations are due no later than November 9, 2017. Postponement of Preliminary Determination Section 703(b)(1) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), requires the Department to issue the preliminary determination in a CVD investigation within 65 days after the date on which the Department initiated the investigation. However, if the petitioner makes a timely request for a postponement, section 703(c)(1)(A) of the Act allows the Department to postpone making the preliminary determination until no later than 130 days after the date on which the Department initiated the investigation. On October 4, 2017, the Coalition of American Flange Producers (the petitioners), petitioners in the underlying investigation, submitted timely requests pursuant to section 703(c)(1)(A) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.205(e) to postpone the preliminary determinations.2 For the reasons stated 1 See Stainless Steel Flanges from India and the People’s Republic of China: Initiation of Countervailing Duty Investigations, 82 FR 42654 (September 11, 2017) (Initiation Notice). 2 See the petitioners’ letter re: Stainless Steel Flanges from India: Request to Postpone Determination, dated October 4, 2017; see also petitioners’ letter re: Stainless Steel Flanges from VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:54 Oct 26, 2017 Jkt 244001 above and because there are no compelling reasons to deny the requests, the Department, in accordance with section 703(c)(1)(A) of the Act, is postponing the deadline for the preliminary determinations to no later than 130 days after the day on which the investigations were initiated. Accordingly, the Department will issue the preliminary determinations no later than January 16, 2018.3 In accordance with section 705(a)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.210(b)(1), the deadline for the final determinations of these investigations will continue to be 75 days after the date of the preliminary determinations, unless postponed at a later date. This notice is issued and published pursuant to section 703(c)(2) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.205(f)(1). Dated: October 19, 2017. Gary Taverman, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Operations performing the non-exclusive functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance. [FR Doc. 2017–23400 Filed 10–26–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648–XF791 Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; request for comments. AGENCY: The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS (Assistant Regional Administrator), has made a preliminary determination that an exempted fishing permit application contains all of the required information and warrants further consideration. This permit would allow Coonamessett Farm Foundation to test the selectivity of alternate gillnet configurations for targeting haddock on Georges Bank while reducing catch of other groundfish species. Up to five SUMMARY: the People’s Republic of China: Request to Postpone Determination, dated October 4, 2017. 3 See 19 CFR 351.303(b)(1) and (2). January 13, 2018, 130 days after the scheduled preliminary determination, is a Saturday; in addition, January 15, 2018, Monday, is a federal holiday. PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 commercial fishing vessels would target haddock using alternate gillnet gears on Georges Bank, including Closed Area I, and temporarily retain undersized catch for measurement and data collection. Regulations under the MagnusonStevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act require publication of this notification to provide interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for proposed exempted fishing permits. DATES: Comments must be received on or before November 13, 2017. ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following methods: • Email: NMFS.GAR.EFP@noaa.gov. Include in the subject line ‘‘Comments on Testing Selectivity and Raised Webbing Gillnets on Target and NonTarget Species in the Northeast Haddock Fishery.’’ • Mail: John K. Bullard, Regional Administrator, NMFS, Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ‘‘Comments on Testing Selectivity of Alternative Gillnet Configurations in the Northeast Haddock Fishery.’’ FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kyle Molton, Fishery Management Specialist, 978–281–9236, Kyle.Molton@noaa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Coonamessett Farm Foundation (CFF) submitted a complete application for an exempted fishing permit (EFP) on August 16, 2017, to conduct commercial fishing activities that the regulations would otherwise restrict. The EFP would authorize five vessels to use test alternate gillnet configurations in Closed Area I and to temporarily retain undersized catch for measurement and data collection. The exemptions are necessary because vessels on commercial groundfish trips are prohibited from fishing in Closed Area I, using gillnets with mesh size less than 6.5 inches (16.51 cm), and from retaining undersized groundfish. The applicant is requesting access to Closed Area I in order to access high densities of haddock, which would result in a greater likelihood of achieving statistically significant results. The project, titled ‘‘Testing Selectivity and Raised Webbing Gillnets on Target and Non-Target Species in the Northeast Haddock Fishery’’ would be conducted by CFF in cooperation with five commercial fishing vessels. The study would take place on Georges Bank, including in Closed Area I, from December 2017 through January 2019, with five vessels planning to fish no more than 24 trips total. Vessels would E:\FR\FM\27OCN1.SGM 27OCN1 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 207 / Friday, October 27, 2017 / Notices fish a maximum of thirty-two 50-fathom (91.44-m) gillnets in strings made up of 4 nets each. Two of the nets in each four-net string would be standard 6.5inch (16.51-cm) mesh and two would be 6.0-inch (15.24-cm) mesh. One net of each mesh size (6.5-inch [16.51-cm] and 6.0-inch [15.24-cm]) in each string would be rigged with a 30-inch (76.2cm) raised webbing section along the bottom. Two to three hauls of the nets are expected during each day at sea with an average soak time of 6 hours for each set. A CFF researcher or technician would accompany all trips that occur under this EFP to identify all fish caught, as well as measure and weigh catch. Undersized fish would be discarded as quickly as possible after sampling. All Northeast multispecies of legal size would be landed, and all catch and estimated discards would be attributed to the vessel’s sector annual catch entitlement, consistent with standard catch accounting procedures. If approved, the applicant may request minor modifications and extensions to the EFP throughout the year. EFP modifications and extensions may be granted without further notice if they are deemed essential to facilitate completion of the proposed research and have minimal impacts that do not change the scope or impact of the initially approved EFP request. Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. Dated: October 24, 2017. Emily H. Menashes, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2017–23441 Filed 10–26–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration RIN 0648–XF780 Pacific Island Fisheries; Western Pacific Stock Assessment Review; Public Meeting National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice; public meeting. asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES AGENCY: NMFS and the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will convene a Western Pacific Stock Assessment Review (WPSAR) of a 2017 Benchmark Stock Assessment for the Main Hawaiian SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:54 Oct 26, 2017 Jkt 244001 Islands (MHI) Deep 7 Bottomfish Complex. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for meeting dates and times and daily agenda. DATES: The meeting will be held at the NMFS Honolulu Service Center at Pier 38, 1129 N. Nimitz Hwy., Suite 220, Honolulu, HI 96817. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Seki, Director—Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, telephone: (808) 725–5360, or michael.seki@ noaa.gov. ADDRESSES: Scientists from the NMFS Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) conducted a benchmark stock assessment of the MHI Deep 7 bottomfish complex. This benchmark assessment incorporated new data in the form of fisheryindependent biomass estimates, and also followed data filtering recommendations from a series of five community workshops that involved fishermen, managers, and scientists on best practices for filtering bottomfish commercial catch and effort data from State of Hawaii commercial catch reports. Because of these workshops, PIFSC scientists are now able to better link individual fishermen’s catch reports further back in time, and this linking is newly applied in this benchmark stock assessment. This assessment used commercial data for the years 1948–2015, and assessed Deep 7 bottomfish by building on the modeling framework from the previous three assessments, but with improved data and data filtering as previously described, along with improvements to catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) standardization, and other modeling approaches. The assessment also estimates unreported catches using catch and effort data following methods similar to those applied in previous assessments. After applying best practices from the workshop recommendations for filtering for CPUE calculation, PIFSC scientists applied model selection techniques to select the best structural form to standardize CPUE. CPUE in the model was split into two time series, fishing years 1948– 2003, and fishing years 2003–2015 to accommodate new effort reporting from a change in reporting form by the State in October 2002. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Meeting Agenda for WPSAR Review The meeting schedule and agenda are as follows (8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. every day): Monday, November 13, 2017 1. Welcome and Introductions PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 49787 2. Background information—Objectives and Terms of Reference 3. Fishery a. Operation b. Management 4. History of stock assessments and reviews 5. Data a. State of Hawaii Fisher and Dealer Reporting Systems b. Life history information c. Fishery-independent survey Tuesday, November 14, 2017 6. Presentation and review of stock assessment Wednesday, November 15, 2017 7. Continue review of stock assessment Thursday, November 16, 2017 8. Continue review of stock assessment 9. Public comment period 10. Panel discussions (Closed to the public) Friday, November 17, 2017 11. Continue panel discussions (Closed; morning) 12. Present results (afternoon) 13. Adjourn The agenda order may change. The meeting will run as late as necessary to complete scheduled business. Special Accommodations This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Please direct requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids to Michael Seki, Director—Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, (808) 725–5360 (phone) (808) 725–5360 (fax), at least 5 days prior to the meeting date. Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq. Dated: October 24, 2017. Emily H. Menashes, Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine Fisheries Service. [FR Doc. 2017–23422 Filed 10–26–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510–22–P COMMITTEE FOR PURCHASE FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE BLIND OR SEVERELY DISABLED Procurement List; Deletions Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled. ACTION: Deletions from the Procurement List. AGENCY: This action deletes products and service from the Procurement List previously furnished by such agencies. DATES: Date deleted from the Procurement List: 11/26/2017. SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\27OCN1.SGM 27OCN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 207 (Friday, October 27, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49786-49787]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-23441]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XF791


Magnuson-Stevens Act Provisions; General Provisions for Domestic 
Fisheries; Application for Exempted Fishing Permits

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Assistant Regional Administrator for Sustainable 
Fisheries, Greater Atlantic Region, NMFS (Assistant Regional 
Administrator), has made a preliminary determination that an exempted 
fishing permit application contains all of the required information and 
warrants further consideration. This permit would allow Coonamessett 
Farm Foundation to test the selectivity of alternate gillnet 
configurations for targeting haddock on Georges Bank while reducing 
catch of other groundfish species. Up to five commercial fishing 
vessels would target haddock using alternate gillnet gears on Georges 
Bank, including Closed Area I, and temporarily retain undersized catch 
for measurement and data collection.
    Regulations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act require publication of this notification to provide 
interested parties the opportunity to comment on applications for 
proposed exempted fishing permits.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before November 13, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Email: [email protected]. Include in the subject line 
``Comments on Testing Selectivity and Raised Webbing Gillnets on Target 
and Non-Target Species in the Northeast Haddock Fishery.''
     Mail: John K. Bullard, Regional Administrator, NMFS, 
Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, 55 Great Republic Drive, 
Gloucester, MA 01930. Mark the outside of the envelope ``Comments on 
Testing Selectivity of Alternative Gillnet Configurations in the 
Northeast Haddock Fishery.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kyle Molton, Fishery Management 
Specialist, 978-281-9236, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Coonamessett Farm Foundation (CFF) submitted 
a complete application for an exempted fishing permit (EFP) on August 
16, 2017, to conduct commercial fishing activities that the regulations 
would otherwise restrict. The EFP would authorize five vessels to use 
test alternate gillnet configurations in Closed Area I and to 
temporarily retain undersized catch for measurement and data 
collection. The exemptions are necessary because vessels on commercial 
groundfish trips are prohibited from fishing in Closed Area I, using 
gillnets with mesh size less than 6.5 inches (16.51 cm), and from 
retaining undersized groundfish. The applicant is requesting access to 
Closed Area I in order to access high densities of haddock, which would 
result in a greater likelihood of achieving statistically significant 
results.
    The project, titled ``Testing Selectivity and Raised Webbing 
Gillnets on Target and Non-Target Species in the Northeast Haddock 
Fishery'' would be conducted by CFF in cooperation with five commercial 
fishing vessels. The study would take place on Georges Bank, including 
in Closed Area I, from December 2017 through January 2019, with five 
vessels planning to fish no more than 24 trips total. Vessels would

[[Page 49787]]

fish a maximum of thirty-two 50-fathom (91.44-m) gillnets in strings 
made up of 4 nets each. Two of the nets in each four-net string would 
be standard 6.5-inch (16.51-cm) mesh and two would be 6.0-inch (15.24-
cm) mesh. One net of each mesh size (6.5-inch [16.51-cm] and 6.0-inch 
[15.24-cm]) in each string would be rigged with a 30-inch (76.2-cm) 
raised webbing section along the bottom. Two to three hauls of the nets 
are expected during each day at sea with an average soak time of 6 
hours for each set.
    A CFF researcher or technician would accompany all trips that occur 
under this EFP to identify all fish caught, as well as measure and 
weigh catch. Undersized fish would be discarded as quickly as possible 
after sampling. All Northeast multispecies of legal size would be 
landed, and all catch and estimated discards would be attributed to the 
vessel's sector annual catch entitlement, consistent with standard 
catch accounting procedures.
    If approved, the applicant may request minor modifications and 
extensions to the EFP throughout the year. EFP modifications and 
extensions may be granted without further notice if they are deemed 
essential to facilitate completion of the proposed research and have 
minimal impacts that do not change the scope or impact of the initially 
approved EFP request.

    Authority:  16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.

    Dated: October 24, 2017.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-23441 Filed 10-26-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P
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